The Year That Everyone Forgot
by InkblotLeaf
Summary: The thought of returning to Hogwarts had never even occured to Hermione. Not until she got the letter on that blustery August day. From then on, it seemed like the only choice.


The letter came on a rather blustery August day. The winds were so strong, in fact, that Hermione Granger was surprised it had been delivered at all. Then again, perhaps she shouldn't have been so surprised. Since that fateful day in early May, she, Harry and Ron had all received innumerable letters almost every single day.

The messages within all these letters were very much the same. They contained thanks and congratulations and some had even been accompanied by parcels containing gifts or, in some cases, galleons. Although these messages had been a pleasant surprise initially, everyone had grown weary of them by this point.

Harry had received the most, of course, but Hermione and Ron had also been overwhelmed by the responses. The wizarding world couldn't seem to get enough of them and Mrs Weasley still had to shoo curious crowds away from the Burrow each morning.

So, like many of the letters they received daily, Hermione paid little attention to it. Her eyes hardly flicked up from today's edition of the Daily Prophet to even acknowledge the arrival of the owl bearing the letter. Beady-eyed and with a sleek plumage, the barn owl gave a soft hoot before taking off once more and leaving the witch alone in the Burrow's crooked kitchen.

Molly Weasley had been quick to invite Harry and Hermione to the Weasley home after the Battle of Hogwarts had brought a close to the second wizarding war. But before she had been able to accept that offer, Hermione had travelled to Australia to find her parents. It was only upon altering their memories once more, and after spending several precious weeks with them, that she finally took up Mrs Weasley's offer.

So it was in the Burrow that she'd been living for almost two months now, trying to live a normal life. Or at least as normal a life as someone who had, only months earlier, helped defeat the darkest wizard of all time could lead.

Even now, the wizarding world was still gloating in the victory. The very newspaper she held in her hands had an article on the famous Harry Potter plastered across the front page, offering updates on how the Boy Who Lived had been faring since the Dark Lord's defeat.

But pry past the glowing exterior and, within the Daily Prophet's crumpled pages, lists of missing wizards and witches could be found, families begging for even the tiniest morsel of news about their loved ones. The sad fact was that most of these missing people were likely dead, swept aside in Voldemort's rise to power.

"Good morning."

It was Ron's cheery greeting that lifted her head from the paper. Flame-haired like every member of his family, he stood in the doorway wearing a lopsided grin.

Hermione set the newspaper down, her eyes sliding to sky outside. "It took you long enough to get up, I've been up since seven you know." But in spite of her rather judgemental tone, she found a small smile crossing her face, only fleeting, but a smile nevertheless.

Ron's smile only grew wider. "Oh, relax. I can have a lie in if I want, can't I? Harry's not up yet either."

"Actually, he is. He and Ginny left over an hour ago to get Teddy. He's staying here for a while to give Andromeda a break." Hermione's eyes fell back down to the paper, her gaze skimming across an article on a recently captured death-eater. His footsteps receded as he disappeared around the corner. Moments later he reappeared with a bowl of Cheeri Owls and sat down beside her.

"Anything interesting in there?" He asked, gesturing to the paper before he took a large spoonful of cereal.

Hermione's eyes flitted over the Daily Prophet once more. "Just a piece on a Death Eater's trial and a section on Harry, of course." A roll of the eyes accompanied her words as she showed him the section, complete with a flickering image of Harry, who was irritably trying to duck away from the camera.

Ron chuckled softly under his breath, a humorous gleam in his eyes. Although all three of them had become 'heroes' in the eyes of the wizarding world following the events of Voldemort's death, it was Harry who held the most interest. He was, after all, the Boy Who Lived.

But it wasn't just them who the papers had been bothering. Hermione had received an owl from Neville Longbottom a few weeks ago asking if she knew of any spells to get rid of journalists. It was with the deepest regret that she'd replied that there weren't.

"Where's Mum?" Ron asked through a mouthful of Cheeri Owls.

She rolled her eyes at his lack of manners whilst eating. "She's de-gnoming the garden again. With the storm last week they've all taken shelter in the rose bush. George's out there helping her too."

A shadow passed across Ron's gaze for a moment and he fell silent. It took a moment for Hermione to realise why. It had been months since Fred's death, but the pain was still fresh. Hearing George's name spoken without Fred's name tagging along just felt… odd. They had always been Fred and George, George and Fred; their lives as inseparable as their names were.

She set the newspaper down once more, folding it neatly in half. The flicker of grief in Ron's gaze had faded now as he put on a sheepish smile.

"Oh, you have a letter." His eyes had caught the yellow envelope that sat in the middle of the table, untouched.

"Really? I haven't had one of those in a while," Hermione commented dryly, giving a wry smile. "I'm sure it's just another thank you letter or something. I keep getting them from Augustus Bennet. I'm not quite sure who he is, but he sent me three letters within the space of about two days."

Even so, she decided to take a look anyway, reaching for the faded yellow envelope. The front was completely unassuming and addressed as:

 _Miss H. Granger_

 _The Burrow_

 _Ottery St Catchpole_

 _Devon_

 _Great Britain_

It was what was on the back that caught her attention. The familiar purple stamp of Hogwarts leapt out at her from the pale parchment, demanding her observation. Her heart faltered. "It's from Hogwarts."

Ron choked on his Cheeri Owls. "Hogwarts?" He swallowed, realising the amount of cereal he'd spilt on the table. "What do they want with you? Missing their best student already?" He was able to manage a small smile, his eyes holding hers for a moment.

"Well, go on, open it."

Her hands shaking slightly, she began to peel open the envelope. But, within seconds, she was interrupted by a rush of air.

Another owl had landed in the kitchen.

A handsome tawny owl this time, the sudden visitor carried two identical letters. When it dropped them on the table, the Hogwarts' crest jumped out from them.

The owl glided off through an open window and Ron picked up to the two extra letters. "One for Harry and one for me," he mumbled, frowning in disbelief.

But Hermione was no longer concentrating on him. She'd opened the envelope and her eyes were now scanning the sheet of paper in her hand.

In neat handwriting, it read:

 _Dear Miss Granger,_

 _In light of the events of this academic year, which have disrupted education, we're pleased to inform you that you have been offered a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to retake your seventh year. Attendance is not compulsory, though advised. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Headmistress_

Hermione finished reading her letter seconds before Ron had finished skimming his. But when he did finally lift his head, not a single word escaped his open mouth. Instead they simply sat there in shock, unable to quite process it.

For what felt like an age, a hush fell over them, broken only by the faint howling of the wind and the racing beat of her heart.

She stood up, suddenly breaking the silence with two very firm words. "I'm going."

Ron's wide eyes burned into her. "What? Are you mental?"  
There was a pause. The tension in the air was palpable.

"No, of course, that was a stupid question. You _are_ mental."

Hermione scowled. "Of course I'm going back! We missed an entire year of learning! And not just any year but our N.E.W.T. year!"

He stared back at her as if she was mad. "Well, I'm not going back. I don't need to take my seventh year! Fred and George didn't and look at…" He trailed off, his eyes clouding.

There was a pregnant pause.

Hermione finally spoke, her tone much softer now. "I thought you wanted to be an Auror? You know they won't even look at your application unless you've got at least five outstanding in your N.E.W.T.s."

At that, Ron suddenly went eerily quiet. His eyes dropped down to his feet, his whole body wilting.

Hermione tensed, a frown furrowing her brow. "What? What is it?"

"It was meant to be a surprise." His voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes not once lifting from his feet.

Heart quickening, she took a step forward. "What was meant to be a surprise?" she pressed, her voice taking on a tone of impatience. What had he been hiding from her?

Sheepishly, he lifted his head. "Well… I… I mean, we…" He struggled for the words. Eventually, after a deep breath, he seemed able to string together a sentence. "A few weeks ago, Kingsley spoke to Harry and me," he said tentatively. "Well, not just us, he spoke to quite a lot of people but-"

He caught one glance at the look she was giving him and quickly continued. "He offered us both the opportunity to become an Auror."

Hermione's breath hitched. For what seemed like an age, she just stared at him. "An Auror?" she repeated, even though she was quite certain she'd heard him correctly. In response, Ron nodded.

A mixture of happiness and fear jostled about for a place in her chest, the corners of her lip twitching until eventually a smile overcame her other emotions and spread across her face. "That's great!" she breathed softly, pulling him into a hug. Ron seemed taken aback by this and froze for a moment before relaxing.

But when she eventually recoiled, a frown had since weighed down upon her features. "But, you didn't take your N.E.W.T.s," she said slowly.

"He said that doesn't matter. Results don't count for anything unless you can actually act when you're in a real situation. He offered it to everyone who fought in the Battle of Hogwarts." After a hesitant pause, he added. "Neville said 'yes', too."

"Neville? An Auror?" There was a time when she would have burst out laughing at the thought, but now it didn't seem quite so peculiar.

She studied him for a quiet moment. "Are you sure you want to do this, though? After everything we went through last year? Do you really want to jump back into it all?"

Ron gave her a wan smile. "I wouldn't, not if it weren't for the thought that there are still death-eaters out there, running free." His expression became stony and cold as he spoke, a look that didn't suit him. His hands had curled into fists at his side. For a moment, he seemed to forget where he was, then his eyes found Hermione's once more and his features softened.

She inhaled a deep breath, simply focusing on the sensation of air filling her lungs before turning her attention back to the red-headed boy. "It'll be dangerous."

"I know that."

"What if something happens to you?"

"It won't," he growled.

Hermione heaved a sigh. What was there to say? "Are you sure you really want this?"

He offered her a feeble sigh before nodding. "I am."

A few moments of silence passed, during which Ron looked lost amidst his thoughts. He finally seemed to detach himself from his musings when he spoke, voice soft. "And you're sure you want to go back to Hogwarts?"

There was no hesitation in her response; the words had barely left Ron's mouth when she found herself nodding.

"You know," he murmured, stepping a little closer to her so that only a tiny slither of air stood between the two of them. "You don't need to go back. You're already ten times smarter than I am."

A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips when she replied, "That's not exactly hard." She paused, expecting perhaps a laugh, but Ron remained silent. In the absence of any sort of response from him, she added, "Besides, it's not that I need to go back; I want to."

His expression looked strained, his gaze darting restlessly from her to the room around her, indecisive as to where to settle. "But… But if you're at Hogwarts and I'm an Auror… We won't see each other."

Her breath caught. Hermione couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze when she spoke. "It's only for a year." A year. In spite of her words, a year seemed like a lifetime.

"A year," Ron echoed distantly.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but the words had become lodged in her throat. So, instead, she just stared back at him, searching his blue eyes for a response, for some sort of emotion. But they just looked empty, unseeing.

"Harry won't be going back, you know," he whispered eventually, finally able to meet her gaze.

"No, I don't suppose he will," she muttered. She knew very well that Harry had his sights set on becoming an Auror, he wouldn't just throw away the opportunity in favour of returning to Hogwarts. Even so, she found her eyes drifting to his letter, which lay unopened upon the kitchen table.

"Harry will-"

"Harry what?"

Two figures stood in the doorway, casting a shadow upon them. Harry stood with Ginny at his side and a squirming bundle in his arms. For a moment it would have been easy to believe that the baby he held was his own, for they shared the same wild, dark hair that never quite seemed to look tidy. But, like his mother, Teddy Lupin was a Metamorphmagus and he was currently going through a phase in which his hair changed in accordance to who was holding him.

Ron had already strode over to his best friend, holding up both his and Harry's envelopes. "Letters from Hogwarts. We've been invited back for our seventh year." His gaze darted back towards Hermione, who stood watching them with slightly narrowed eyes. "She wants to go back."

Harry blinked.

For several long moments, Hermione thought he was going to say nothing. Ginny gently took Teddy from his arms, sinking down into a frayed armchair with the boy cradled in her arms, whose hair had now become a vibrant ginger shade.

"I don't know why you look so surprised." Harry's voice was steady, a faint smile tracing a path across his face. "This is _Hermione_ we're talking about."

Ron shuffled his feet a little. "I'm not, I just…" he trailed off mid-sentence, clearly thinking better of what he'd been about to say.

Harry looked faintly amused. "It would be quite nice, really, to go back and not have to worry about dying or anything. To have a normal year."

"It is still N.E.W.T year," Hermione reminded them pointedly. "It's not as if I have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, even so."

"Don't tell me you're thinking of going back." Ron's voice was thick with desperation, eyes wide with concern.

Harry looked startled by the suggestion. "No! Of course not!"

The worried look faded a little. He shot Hermione another glance before speaking. "I told her about Kingsley's offer."

Harry blinked. "You did?"

All eyes turned to Hermione, in search of a response. She ought to have offered some form of congratulations, but this didn't seem like the right moment, she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

A shaky breath rattled her chest as she turned her eyes away from Harry and back to Ron. His expression was that of a mournful puppy, eyes round and a slight frown creasing his brow. "I wish this could be easier," she whispered. "But I'm not going to stand in the way of you doing what you want to do. I hope you'll do the same for me." Drawing in a shallow breath, she allowed herself a small smile. "We'll just have to make things work, okay?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione caught Harry and Ginny exchanging a glance, clearly feeling a little uncomfortable.

"We'll just… go. Leave you some space…" Harry said awkwardly, ducking his head and following Ginny, and a writhing Teddy, into the next room.

They left the two of them immersed in a dense silence. Hermione was almost afraid to breathe, her eyes locked with Ron's. It was him who eventually broke the silence with soft words. "I'm sorry… I overreacted a bit. This is your decision, not mine, if you want to go back to Hogwarts-" he looked a little pained at that point, a plune twitching at the corner of his lips. "-then you should do it."

She released a breath she didn't even realise she'd been holding. In the hush, it sounded as loud as thunder. "No, it's okay. You don't need to apologise."

This time, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards slightly as he spoke, warmth flickering behind his blue eyes. "It was stupid of me to think that you wouldn't want to go back. You're _Hermione_ _._ Books, school, cleverness; that's who you are."

In return, she managed a small smile. "I would've thought that after all this time you would have realised that there's more to me than just books."  
Ron recoiled. "No, I didn't mean it that way, I'm sorry, I know you-"

She merely chuckled. "I know, I know."

But her warm expression soon faded. It was he who spoke next. "I was just afraid of losing you," he whispered, his voice scarcely audible.

Her breath caught. "We'll make this work, I know we will… We just have to find some other way of seeing each..." There was a hopeful lift to her words, but her thoughts had reached a dead end. In truth, she had no idea how she could continue to see Ron and maintain their relationship. She had her Apparition license now, but of course you couldn't Apparate within Hogwarts grounds. She wasn't sure if the fire in the Gryffindor Common room was connected to the Floo Network, although it seemed more likely that it wasn't.

Ron was silent for a moment. "I could come to the Hogsmeade weekends? I could just Apparate."

The thought hadn't even occurred to her. She blinked at him. "Yes, yes I suppose you could." It made her feel a little more hopeful, but that was only a couple of days over the year.

"Apart from that though, I think we'll just have to send owls."  
His shoulders sagged. "Oh dear. I'm not much of a letter writer."

She gave a wry smile. "Well, you'll have to become a letter writer now, won't you?"

Ron's eyes softened a little. "I suppose I will." A small smile had blossomed upon his features in spite of the sadness that swum in his eyes. "I can't believe this is happening."

She gave him a sheepish look. "Nor can I."

He studied her for a moment, a look of deep though crossing over his features. "You know," he said eventually, after a long pause. "You might be in some of Ginny's classes."

The thought hadn't even occurred to her. She bit back a smile. "That'll be odd."

Ron didn't reply. He simply stared at her, as if in some sort of trance. When the mist of thought lifted behind his eyes, he was suddenly pulling her into a hug.

For a moment, Hermione froze, caught unaware. But as she exhaled, she released the tension that had built up in her chest, wrapping her arms around him and breathing in his familiar scent. The world seemed to have come to a stop in that heartbeat, it was only the two of them. And she savoured every second of it. These were the precious moments that she was going to be missing out on next year, the few heartbeats in which time seemed to slow. And as she thought about it, she found herself releasing a sigh she didn't even realise she'd been holding. _This is going to be a long year._

* * *

 **Hullo and welcome to the first chapter of _The Year That Everyone Forgot!_ This is just going to be a short little Author's Note, but if you'd take the time to read it, that would be great! I'd first like to say, thank you for reading! If you have read this chapter, I'd love it if you could leave a review, letting me know what you think! You're welcome to be critical, so long as it's constructive! :)**

 **This story is more of a side-project. I can't say exactly when the next update will be as I have no idea, my other fan fic, _Blue Moon,_ takes priority when it comes to writing, but this is going to be something I can work on when I have no muse for writing about cats. xD I'd like to also say that this fan fic isn't going to be a story as such, but more a collection of one-shots from Hermione's year at Hogwarts. We might also get the occasional chapter from Harry or Ron.**

 **And, finally, a big thank you to my fab beta reader (and friend!), Snowfeather4876! She's a _fantastic_ writer too, so be sure to check her out!**

 **Live, Love, Read and Review,**

 **Leafy x**


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